The Flames in Her Ocean Colored Eyes
by Ms-Fantazmic
Summary: Katara learns a devastating secret about herself, and the only person she can turn to is... Zuko? Will this secret change the Katara we all know and love, or will it make her the woman she was meant to be?
1. Gran Gran No!

_I do not own..._

_**Chapter 1**_

**Katara has been told the same thing since her mother died. Now, standing next to her Gran Gran on her death bed, the truth will come to light.**

"**Gran Gran you can't leave us now. Your so close to seeing the war finally ended. Aang will win Gran Gran, we need you to be here for that." Sokka said, trying not to let the tears slip.**

"**I know dear boy," Gran Gran wheezed, "I need to speak to Katara, can you give us a minute Sokka?"**

"**Of course Gran Gran." he replied finally loosing his composure.**

**As her brother left the hut blubbering, Katara flew to her Gran Gran's side and started crying over her hand.**

"**Gran Gran, you can't leave. There is still so much I need you to teach me." Katara wailed.**

"**You are right about one thing, there is still a lot for you to learn, but I can't teach you." The elder woman said, pausing as she went into a coughing fit.**

**Katara handed her a cup of water and asked,**

"**What do you mean?"**

**Handing the cup back she stared directly into the younger girls eyes and replied,**

"**There is so much you do not know and I fear I may not have the time to tell you. But I can tell you this, hidden in my hut, under my bed is a journal your mother once kept. She gave it to me when we heard Fire Nation were coming. She wanted you to have it when this time came."**

**Katara had a bewildered look on her face as her father's mother continued,**

"**You were not told the whole truth, there is much more to you than you know. And always believe things happen for a reason my dear Katara. You are just as important to this war as The Avatar."**

**Kanna stopped and looked at the door to the hut. Calling for Sokka she waited as he entered, before saying her last goodbyes. **

"**I feel the moon spirit calling to me. I love you two more than anything, and know that I will always be with you, guiding you throughout all of your struggles." And with a sigh, she was gone.**

**Katara turned into her older brother and they cried together for the person that had been there for them through everything.**

**Katara remembered what Kanna said about her mother's journal, and pulled away from her brother.**

"**There is something Gran Gran told me. I need to go."**

**She was out of the hut before Sokka could say anything.**

"**Gran Gran no!" Sokka wailed dropping to his knees.**

**When Katara reached her Grandmother's hut she went straight to the bed. She was determined to see what it was that was kept from her her whole life. Skimming through the pages she found one that started out, Katara Turns Three.**

**As she read it, her eyes got big and her mind got caught on one sentence.**

_My worst fears have come to light, my Katara can Fire Bend._

**This couldn't be right, she was a water bender and a damn good one at that. She read on to learn more about the mother she lost at 8 years old. She ran back to find Sokka leaving the hut.**

"**What's wrong Katara?" He asked, wiping his face.**

"**It's mother. She was Fire Nation!"**

_My first Avatar story. I hope you like it!_


	2. Kya's Secret

_I do not own..._

_**Chapter 2**_

**Katara and Sokka sat glaring at their father from across their hut.**

"**You have a lot of explaining to do dad." Katara said angrily.**

"**It would seem that I do. I have been dreading and looking forward to this day for a long time now. Thank you for at least giving me time to take care of my mother's burial."**

"**How could you not have told us that our mother was Fire Nation?"**

"**I know, but I did this because Kya asked me to. When your mother and I met, we were young and terrified because of the war. Kya was the only daughter of a noble Fire Nation family, and they wanted to marry her off to another powerful noble family." He said remembering those days.**

"_Kya don't be silly. You must marry General Iroh's son Lu Ten. He will soon be a fine soldier as well as the Fire Lord, making you Fire Lady." Stated her mother as if it was perfectly acceptable logic._

"_But I don't want to marry him Mother. I don't think this war is right and I will not support it or any descendant of the crazy Fire Lord."_

_Before she could say anything more, her mother reached over and slapped her across the face._

"_Have you gone crazy? What if your father heard you say that?" Her mother said staring down at her._

"_What is the point of marring me off to someone, I can't even fire bend like the rest of you?" Kya said refusing to let the tears fall._

"_You have the potential to produce children stronger than the Fire Lord himself. And besides you won't be married until your 18, so you have a few more months to get these foolish thoughts out of your head." She said dismissing the whole argument._

"**Shortly after that argument Kya ran away and we met at an Earth Kingdom dock." Hakoda sighed turning back to his children.**

"**She was going to marry Iroh's son?" Sokka said astonished.**

"**So she couldn't fire bend?" Katara asked.**

"**No she couldn't bend. We were never going to tell you , but when you started fire bending we didn't know what to do. We decided we would rather you not bend at all rather than fire bend. But the next year you started water bending to we hoped the fire thing was just a phase." Said their father.**

"**It could still be a possibility that I could fire bend?" Katara asked excitedly.**

"**Yes it is. After your mother ran away, her parents sent out a search party to bring her home. But once Lu Ten died her family didn't want anything to do with her. And since she had disgraced them so much, Kya's father ordered the retrieval team just to get rid of the problem." Hakoda finished looking sad.**

"**You mean they weren't looking for water benders?" Sokka asked, seriously confused.**

"**No they weren't. We told you that to protect you from the truth. Kya thought someday she could introduce you kids to her family. But she also thought the war would be over before she died." Hakoda with a small smile, "When she heard Fire Nation troops were coming here because of her she didn't want them to find you. She knew what they would do with a bender that could bend two elements."**

"**They would have used her as a weapon against the Aang." Sokka said finally catching up.**


	3. I Am Not A Monster

_**Chapter 3**_

Katara couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother was almost a Fire Nation princess, instead she ended up being like a Water Tribe queen.

What kind of family has their daughter killed just because she causes a little trouble? Fire Nation nobility obviously.

**'No, not all Fire Nation can be like that, right?'** She thought.

Iroh wouldn't do that, he loved his son. And he loves Zuko as if he were his son. What would he think of Katara if he knew it was her mother than ran out on the arrangement? Would he hate her for her mother's broken promise? Was it really her mother's fault if she didn't agree with it?

Katara had to go somewhere to think, she needed to be alone right now.

Panic written all over her face, Katara stood and fled the small hut. She couldn't breathe. She felt like a million eyes were on her instead of the two pairs that belonged to her brother and father.

**'A father that lied to you.'** A small voice whispered in the back of her mind whispered.

"Katara wait!" Sokka yelled, trying to go after his sister.

"No Sokka. She needs some time to herself." Hakoda said, reaching up to stop his only son.

After staring at the door for some time Sokka turned hopefully back towards his father,

"So does this mean I can Fire Bend too?"

"Sorry son you're a non-bender, just like your mother and I." Hakoda chuckled softly.

"Man, why does Katara get all the cool stuff?" He whined, plopping down in a huff.

Katara ran to the edge of the village, but couldn't seem to make her feet stop. Before she knew it, she was shooting across the water. She felt so at peace in the water. How could she Fire Bend as well? It didn't make sense, how could this even be possible?

For Katara it felt like hours, but for everyone else it had been days.

The whole group was together and worrying about Katara. Iroh and Hakoda were trying to figure it if it was best to go looking for her or not, while Aang, Toff, and Sokka discussed the whole situation. Zuko just stood there, absorbing everything he was hearing.

'**Katara can Fire and Water bend. That's unheard of.'**

"Wait what did you just say?" Zuko was pulled out of his thoughts by a very strange statement.

"I said my mother was supposed to marry your cousin, Lu Ten."

"So you were the one who got little Kya?" Iroh asked Hakoda as they joined the conversation.

"You actually knew her Uncle?" Zuko asked confused, he had never heard this before.

"Of course I did. Your grandfather and I had to approve of the girl and her family before she was dubbed Fire Lady material. I met her before she knew she was to be my Lu Ten's bride. Azulon didn't like that she couldn't Fire Bend, but approved because of the power the family exhibited. It was before the engagement was announced that she ran away."

"Did you know her family sent men to kill her and take our daughter?" Hakoda asked very seriously.

"No, not at first. I found out afterward when a messenger delivered the news to my father. He commented that he had to pressure her family into having someone get rid of her. He said the Fire Lord family didn't need that kind of shame on them."

"That's disgusting." Zuko said.

Everyone stared at him in shock, except Iroh who had pride in his eyes.

"I would never let anyone do something like that. I'm not a monster like my father or grandfather." With that said Zuko walked off.

He could empathize with Katara. His mother was taken from him as well but she was definitely another Fire Bender. He couldn't possibly understand all that she was going through, but he was going to try and find her, and be of some help.


End file.
